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Misinterpretation

by Ledia Xhoga

Narrator Morgan Hallett

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Length 9 hours 52 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“Interpretation is more than just giving a word a definition in another language. It involves nuanced meaning, picking up on imbedded emotional content and sometimes a bit of empathy. But what happens when an interpretor becomes so immersed in another's tale that it dredges up memories long buried? This insightful novel talks to us of the kinds of decisions that must be made when working as a verbal translator - especially during someone's therapy sessions. As connections are made, pain and anguish are shared. It isn't long before life for our interpretor takes a definite turn for the worse. The fact that the narrator works to help people understand each other is not proof of her ability to make sure her own loved ones have that same clarity. There's a lot packed into these pages; it's a standout debut.”
— Linda • Auntie's Bookstore

Summary

In present-day New York City, an Albanian interpreter reluctantly agrees to work with Alfred, a Kosovar torture survivor, during his therapy sessions. Despite her husband’s cautions, she soon becomes entangled in her clients’ struggles: Alfred’s nightmares stir up her own buried memories, and an impulsive attempt to help a Kurdish poet leads to a risky encounter and a reckless plan.As ill-fated decisions stack up, jeopardizing the nameless narrator’s marriage and mental health, she takes a spontaneous trip to reunite with her mother in Albania, where her life in the United States is put into stark relief. When she returns to face the consequences of her actions, she must question what is real and what is not. Ruminative and propulsive, Ledia Xhoga’s debut novel, Misinterpretation, interrogates the darker legacies of family and country, and the boundary between compassion and self-preservation.“Deft and insightful. … exceptional.”—Idra Novey

Fiction Fiction - Literary